Archives for February, 2012

By NICHOLAS SAIDEL AND HARVEY RUBIN 02/27/2012 22:59 However great the economic impact of Israel’s energy sector transformation will be, the interdependent geopolitical consequences look even more astonishing. We are now witnessing a transformation of the energy landscape of Israel. In the short term, Israel is actually suffering from an energy shortage. Warnings of blackouts […]

Rangers working in several of Egypt’s protectorates staged sit-ins earlier this month for the first time to protest problems related to their work conditions and to call attention to the ongoing threats to Egypt’s protectorates, which they work to safeguard. In what Waleed Hassan, one of the protesting rangers who spoke to Egypt Independent, called […]

Nairobi, 22 February 2012 Secretary General of the Arab Forum for Environment & Development (AFED), Najib Saab, spoke on prospects of green economy in the Arab countries, at a ministerial roundtable during the Global Ministerial Environment Forum held at the Headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi. The panel, attended by representatives […]

Urban planning experts fear that a proposed network of overhead electricity cables alongside existing railway tracks will finally sever Haifa from the lower city – a focus of the city’s rejuvenation . By Zafrir Rinat The authorization stage of Israel Railways’ ambitious project to electrify its tracks is nearing completion. The project is designed to […]

Cam McGrath Fri, 24/02/2012 Alexandria-born fisherman Ali Mohsen has seen his profits ebb and flow with the tide. The salty septuagenarian spent his youth plying the coastal lagoons of the Nile Delta. He recalls a time before the Aswan High Dam when sardines churned the muddy shallows near Rosetta, and glows while describing the bountiful […]

by Khaled Neimat | Feb 28,2012 | 00:02 QATRANEH — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday inaugurated a multimillion 373-megawatt power plant in the southern Governorate of Karak that is expected to increase electricity generation by 12 per cent. The JD420 million project near the town of Qatraneh, 100km south of Amman, is the second […]

By SHARON UDASIN 02/28/2012 03:39 The residents of Givat Masua and their supporters have until March 8 to file objections to both the regional and local planning committees. Looking up at Givat Masua By Sharon Udasin A green, blossoming valley along Jerusalem’s most southwestern border may soon be populated by 482 new apartment units in […]

By SHARON UDASIN 02/26/2012 22:58 Blue I Water Technologies was previously active in Paris and Beijing, too. Drinking water [illustrative] By Thinkstock/Imagebank A Tel Aviv-based water-monitoring technology firm is currently in the process of installing 140 of its quality-inspection devices in Barcelona and 40 more in other areas of Spain. Having completed a pilot phase […]

Andre Fecteau Wed, 22/02/2012 – Ask about ideas of progress in Egypt and you’ll commonly hear: malls and villas away from downtown Cairo, American coffee at some neighborhood Cilantro or, for those living in Upper Egypt or the Delta, a better life in Cairo. On the other hand, the sight of donkeys on the streets, […]

Sunday, 26 February 2012 By Noora Faraj Al Arabiya with Agencies Palestinian farmers in the West Bank town of Jericho are banking on their basil plants to gain a foothold in European and American markets. A growing number of Palestinian farmers are resorting to planting basil in order to earn an income from West Bank […]

By SHARON UDASIN 02/26/2012 01:43 Ministry hoping to improve public attitude toward energy efficiency and integrate smart grids that monitor electricity usage in homes. Electric lines [illustrative photo] By Thinkstock/Imagebank If the nation’s largest industries and institutions can decrease their energy usage by 10 percent, Israel might be able to avoid the energy crisis and […]

The photovoltaic facilities will be built on land leased from Kibbutz Kramim, in the northern Negev, and Moshav Idan, in the central Arava Desert and will cost an estimated NIS 60 million to build. By Yoram Gabison Enlight Renewable Energy received a major boost on Tuesday toward establishing two photovoltaic energy projects with a combined […]

One week after Energy and Water Resources Minister Uzi Landau predicted a summer full of power outages, two Anglos who are spearheading alternative energy initiatives in Israel. By Mordechai I. Twersky One week after Energy and Water Resources Minister Uzi Landau predicted a summer fraught with power outages, two Anglos who are spearheading alternative energy […]

Israel nixes solar energy for Palestinians AP | Feb 25,2012 | 22:54 A Palestinian woman carries a bucket of water next to solar panels in Al Thala community, north of the West Bank city of Hebron, Wednesday (AP photo) AL THALA, West Bank — Electricity from solar panels and wind turbines has revolutionised life in […]

By SHARON UDASIN 02/08/2012 02:38 Contract to develop solar field was first signed a year-and-a-half ago, will be funded by US gov’t agency. Beduin leaders and Arava Power Company president By Hannah Schafer The Public Utility Authority on Monday night issued the first license for a solar power facility on Beduin land, approving the Tarabin […]

by Fahed Fanek | Feb 12,2012 | 22:53 A heated dialogue of the deaf is currently taking place, not only in the papers, electronic media and political salons, but also in the street, starting at the Grand Husseini Mosque and ending at the Nakheel Square every Friday. The claim is that previous governments sold off […]

Christiana Figueres, the UN climate chief, discusses the state of the climate change debate. It is barely detectable by the naked eye, but it is here – you just have to look hard enough: Climate change. Emissions from factories, cars and other sources are causing the global average temperature to rise according to the majority […]

Energy ministry and Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) say there is no justification for restricting the radiation level, a move which would cost billions of shekels. By Zafrir Rinat The Energy and Water Resources Ministry objects to limiting the radiation level at electrical facilities, despite recommendations by the health and environmental protection ministries. The energy ministry […]

The story of Hadera’s Georgy Beach restaurant is one that exemplifies the weakness of local authorities and their inability to impose the law on some aggressive individuals. It’s a story about the banality of corruption. Haaretz Editorial A report by Revital Hovel in Friday’s Hebrew edition of Haaretz about a small stand on the Givat […]

The architect behind a UN plan to build 20 eco-friendly schools in Gaza discusses the challenges of sustainable development in the Strip. By Noam Dvir For the past year Italian architect Mario Cucinella has been heading a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA ) project to build 20 sustainable schools in the Gaza Strip. The […]